This Painting By Amrita Sher-Gil Now The Most Expensive Indian Artwork Auctioned

Late painter Amrita Sher-Gil’s oil on canvas titled The Storyteller has become the most expensive painting by an Indian artist ever. It has surpassed Sayed Haider Raza’s painting titled Gestation. Reportedly, the Indian artwork is from the year 1937. It has been sold at Saffronart’s Evening Sale: Modern Art in New Delhi. It fetched a whopping Rs 61.8 crore. Amrita Sher-Gil was believed to be the greatest avant-garde painter of her time. Her painting, The Storyteller, made it to the list of 70-plus art pieces by eminent artists including MF Husain, VS Gaitonde, Jamini Roy and FS Souza which were featured in the auction held last month.

Sayed Haider Raza’s 1989 artwork Gestation was sold at Rs 51.75 crore by Pundole’s auction house in Mumbai. Dinesh Vazirani, chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder of Saffronart, while speaking to PTI, said, “We are delighted to have set multiple artist records at our Evening Sale in New Delhi this September. Most significantly, the record price achieved by Amrita Sher-Gil’s The Storyteller is an important milestone in the Indian art market and a testament to the artist’s immense skill and enduring legacy as one of India’s art treasures.”

Amrita Sher-Gil was born on January 30, 1913, in Budapest, Hungary. Her father was an Indian, while her mother was Hungarian. Amrita found her passion in drawing and painting when she was a child. Her early works featured vibrant artworks of Hungarian fairy tales. In 1921, her family decided to settle in Shimla, and this marked her return to India.

The Storyteller, which is now the most expensive painting, is considered among one of Amrita Sher-Gil’s most important works. The artwork is one of her most honest and expressive compositions. It was initially featured in November 1937 at the artist’s successful solo exhibition at Faletti’s Hotel in Lahore. Some of her most popular artworks include Three Girls, Women on the Charpai, Hill Women and Young Girls.